Mangaluru: With the contract staff of the BSNL having not received salary over the last two months, a protest was staged under the aegis of the BSNL Non Permanent workers’Union along with the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), on Monday, December 17, at BSNL Head Office Pandeshwara.
“I did not pay house rent from the past two months. If I am not able to pay the same the next month, the house owner would definitely ask me to vacate the house”, informed a contract employee of Bharath Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) named Krishnappa, who has been working for the BSNL telephone exchange in Puttur taluk..
Another employee of Doddathota in Sullia Taluk, Uday Kumar informed that his EMI is due over the last two months. ” Next month, the Bank will definitely issue me notice”, he informed. This is the plight of non-permanent workers of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi district who have working for BSNL for several years.
Addressing the protesters CITU state vice president Vasanth Achary said,” the employees of the BSNL who have been working under contract basis are not demanding alms from the BSNL. They are demanding for that what lawfully belongs to them. Besides this, with the discrimination between permanent and contract workers, the BSNL doesn’t even pay attention towards clearing salary of the contract workers.”
DK district secretary of CITU, Sunil Kumar Bajal cautioned of intensifying their protest if the BSNL does not pay salary. “It is very shameful that the BSNL doesn’t pay even minimum wages and extend proper facilities to its employees. If proper measures are not be taken to pay employees’ salaries without delay, employees would be forced to boycott work and indulge in serious protest in the next coming days”, he added.
Hundreds of employees participated in the protest and urged to release their salary immediately. BSNL non-permanent workers union DK district secretary Uday Kumar, president Nithyananda Bheemagoli. Udupi district secretary Mohan among others were present.
